


A Business Affair

by Sassy_assassin



Series: Corporate Affairs [2]
Category: Borderlands, Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Atlas CEO Rhys, M/M, Rhys is salty, both Rhys and Jack are CEOs, mostly rated M for those things just in case, some blood and fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-08-31 12:17:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8578282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sassy_assassin/pseuds/Sassy_assassin
Summary: Rhys and Jack have been kind of together for awhile now, but Rhys wonders if they are really "together" as he heads to a meeting with Dahl after the company has accused Atlas of stealing some of their designs.





	1. Tartarus Station

**Author's Note:**

> Since my other fic is almost done, and because I absolutely love Atlas CEO Rhys, I decided to write this. It got a lot longer than I intended, so here you go! This is actually a sequel to my other fic, An Unconventional Meeting. Also thanks to my friend Chloe whose amazing comments and feedback always keep me going!

Rhys looked out the small window as they approached the town. Well, more of a waystation than town, he supposed. Tartarus Station. One of Hyperion’s strongholds down on Pandora. Ever since Jack had agreed to work with Atlas, even if he had done it mostly out of jealously, Rhys and Jack had been busy trying to get both of their companies on board. Which was probably easier for Rhys than for Jack, seeing as partnering up with Hyperion was seen as a good move by almost everyone in Atlas. Though Atlas had its merits, and even though it was just starting, even the Hyperion execs could see that. Not that Rhys thought any one of them could stop Jack even if they wanted to. When Handsome Jack made up his mind, it was damn near impossible to stop him.

Rhys was drawn out of his thoughts by his ECHO going off. He picked up the call, a small video projection popping out of his robotic arm. 

“Heya pumpkin, ya here yet?” Jack asked, his trademark smirk on his face. Rhys smiled, knowing that Jack was probably calling him out of pure boredom. The Hyperion CEO had been on-planet for almost a week now, but Rhys hadn’t had the opportunity to see the man yet, as he’d been busy trying to make last minute arrangements before heading to the meeting. Representatives from both Hyperion and Atlas were supposed to be meeting with representatives from Dahl to settle a dispute. Dahl had called the meeting weeks ago, claiming that one of Atlas’s new designs was stolen from them, which was ridiculous. The designs in question were ones that Rhys personally had a hand in, and he would never demean his company by using stolen designs. More likely than not, Dahl was feeling the heat from Atlas and Hyperion’s new partnership and was trying to see if they could ruin Atlas’s reputation. And with Hyperion being partnered with them, Jack had insisted that he also be at the meeting.

“I should be there soon,” Rhys said, returning his attention to Jack. Jack looked at him and grinned.

“Can’t wait ‘til you get here babe,” Jack said, his tone indicating that he was eager to see Rhys for more than just business reasons. Rhys smirked back at him.

“Remember Jack, this trip is for business,” Rhys reminded him, knowing how whenever he saw the other man, Jack tended to throw business to the wayside. Not that he was entirely opposed to that, but this time Rhys was really trying to keep focused. Dahl didn’t have a leg to stand on with their claim, but once rumors spread they were hard to stop, and Atlas wasn’t yet strong enough to take a hit like that to their reputation.

“Yeah,yeah. Don’t worry Rhysie. Those Dahl idiots are gonna pay for this.”

“I appreciate you coming to support Atlas, but I can take care of Dahl myself,” Rhys said. He was happy that Jack had come down to Pandora, the show of support from Hyperion would in itself, make a statement to Dahl that they weren’t going to back down, but Rhys also worried that it would make Atlas seem as if they needed to be bailed out by Hyperion.

“Sure cupcake, but ya won’t need to. Daddy’ll take care of everything. And when we're done with those idiots we can celebrate,” Jack said, giving Rhys a wink. Rhys pulled a face.

“Don’t ever call yourself that again please,” Rhys said, though Jack's idea of a celebration wasn't entirely unappealing. Jack just laughed.

“See ya soon Rhysie.”

Rhys watched him disappear as the call ended, and he looked back out the window, seeing the large satellite dishes in the distance. He knew he could have ordered a car to take him, but he figured since Jack had gotten the trains up and running again, that he might as well take one. His other executives weren’t exactly pleased, but Rhys had threatened to have them find their own way there if they disagreed. Most of his employees were from Pandora, but some of them, like most of his executives, were from off-planet and were accustomed to a ‘different lifestyle’. Rhys just called them spoiled.

“How much farther until we’re there?” Rhys asked, knowing that they were close. Dave, one of the other execs answered him.

“In about a half hour sir, but if we had only taken the cars then we would have been there by now,” he answered. Rhys glared at the man, wishing that Vaughn didn’t have to stay at the Atlas facility in Old Haven. He missed his company, especially when he had to deal with some of the higher level execs. He thought being CEO would make it so that they listened to him, but apparently that wasn’t always the case.

“You can get out and walk the rest of the way if you like,” Rhys suggested, a cold glare on his face that caused the man to immediately shut up. “Besides, if we had taken the cars it would increase the likelihood that we would be attacked by bandits, and I doubt any of you are useful in a firefight  which meant that most of you would not have survived such an attack,” Rhys said. “Which now that I think about it, it’s a pity we didn’t take the cars,” he muttered. Dave looked sheepishly at the ground before retreating back to wherever his seat was.

The train signaled that they had arrived, and Rhys hoped that he would have time to rest before the meeting with Dahl. Though with Jack around, he may not get much rest at all. He smirked at that thought, getting ready to depart as the train stopped. Getting off, Rhys looked around at the small town. It was fairly nice, especially considering it was in the middle of nowhere in Pandora. Jack had said that the place they were staying at was one of the hotels right down from the tracks. He looked around until he saw a sign and headed down the street, spotting a bar farther down and a couple shops. The place wasn’t too crowded, but there were a fair amount of people milling about, and Rhys tried to make his way around them toward the hotel. He could hear some of his employees struggling to keep up with them, but figured it wasn’t far enough for them to get lost. 

“Rhysie!” Jack’s voice rang out as the older man himself appeared just outside the hotel. He looked to have been walking out, but had immediately stopped as he caught sight of the Atlas CEO. Rhys smiled at him.

“Jack, you waiting for me? How sweet?” Rhys teased, his voice holding a sickly sweet tone. Jack grinned back at him.

“Only for you sweetcheeks. Come on kiddo, I’ll show you to where we’ll be staying.” Jack placed his hand on the small of Rhys’s back, leading him inside. Rhys raised an eyebrow at the use of ‘we’ but went along with him.

“Oh, wow,” Rhys said, not able to fully contain his awe at the room that Jack showed him. It was big. A lot bigger than Rhys had expected in such a small place as Tartarus Station, though he did suppose that a lot of the Hyperion upper-management and execs had to stay here from time to time. Though this looked like a room that was reserved for Jack himself, if the decor meant anything. It was reminiscent of the Hyperion CEO’s office on Helios, large statues and paintings of himself everywhere.

“What time is the meeting with Dahl?” Rhys asked, placing his bags down near a couch. Jack turned toward him, wrenching his attention from the fridge in the kitchen.

“Not until tomorrow. Told ‘em you wouldn’t be coming in ‘til later today,” Jack said, returning to look back into the fridge. Rhys smiled warmly, knowing that Jack had made sure that Rhys had enough time to rest before the meeting.

“So, am I staying here with you?” Rhys said, raising an eyebrow as he walked up to Jack. Jack stood up, closing the fridge as he got out a beer, placing it on the counter.

“That a problem, cupcake?” Jack said, mirroring Rhys’s expression with a raised eyebrow of his own.

“But Jack, what will people say?” Rhys said, a teasing lilt to his voice as he leaned in close, his breath was tickling Jack’s skin.

“Screw what they say,” Jack growled, capturing Rhys’s mouth in his own. Rhys closed his eyes as Jack deepened the kiss and smiled, Jack biting lightly at Rhys’s bottom lip before pulling away.

Jack leaned down to nip slightly at Rhys’s neck, trailing kisses along his collarbone where his tattoos were. 

Rhys felt his stomach growl slightly, remembering that he hadn’t really eaten anything since he’d left Old Haven. “I’m hungry Jack.”

“Yeah, so am I babe,” Jack said, a much more predatory tone to his voice than Rhys’s. Rhys rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious Jack,” Rhys frowned. “I haven’t eaten anything since leaving.”

Jack frowned, annoyed at being interrupted, but sighed, “There’s some food in the fridge.”

“Thanks handsome.” Rhys kissed Jack’s cheek, reaching around him to rummage around in the fridge. Jack scowled at the affectionate action, but Rhys caught his lips turn up slightly out of the corner of his eye. He watched Jack plop down on the couch, and turn on the TV while Rhys continued to search for food.

“You want anything?” Rhys asked, as he pulled out what looked like cheese, and a couple eggs.

“Nah, I’m good,” Jack replied, his attention on whatever show he’d put on. There wasn’t much TV on Pandora, so whatever it was must have been casting inter-planetary.

Rhys turned on the stove, intending to make an omelet. While the pan was heating up, he realized just how domestic this was, him cooking while the sounds of the TV show Jack was watching played in the background. He bit his lip slightly at the warm feeling that started to form in the pit of his stomach, looking subtly over at Jack, who had his back to him. He smiled, but it disappeared as a thought popped into his head. Sure Jack and him were technically exclusive, but it wasn’t like they were dating. All they ever did when they got together was have sex. Which was good, like really good. But Rhys, despite knowing it was a bad idea, actually liked Jack. They’d been having secret, then not so secret hookups for months now, but Rhys sometimes caught himself just wanting to hang out with Jack. He wasn’t sure if the other CEO was the dating type, but he would never know if he didn’t try. 

Rhys turned towards where his sad attempt at making an omelet sat, and made up his mind, turning up the heat all the way. He watched it burn, and pretended to not know it was happening as Jack turned around at the smell of smoke.

“Rhysie what the hell?” Jack yelled, getting up from the couch as Rhys slowly turned toward the stove, a surprised expression on his face.

“Shit,” Rhys turned the stove off, “well I guess it’s burned now.” He picked up the practically black solid mass as Jack gave him a weird look. “Want to go get something to eat?”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m sure there’s somewhere around here that serves halfway edible food,” Rhys said.

“I’ve got something you can eat right here,” Jack grinned, pointing down to his crotch while Rhys frowned at him. Jack rolled his eyes, “Fine, I think there’s like a diner or some shit down the street. Not that most of the restaurants on this planet are even passable.”

Rhys smiled. “Well, let’s go then handsome.” Rhys said, tugging on the front of Jack’s jacket to pull him along. Jack gave him a sideways smirk and followed Rhys out of the apartment.


	2. A Date to (not) Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys succeeded in getting Jack out of the hotel to get something to eat, but the Hyperion CEO seems to only want to spend time with Rhys in another way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since my Vegas fic is now complete, I'll be more focused on this one for now. Enjoy Rhys trying to get Jack on an actual date.

Jack gave Rhys directions to the place, telling him to go down the street and to the right. It was mostly an outdoor bar area, but there were a few tables that people were seated at. It wasn’t much to look at it, but Rhys seemed thrilled to be there. Rhys gave a sharp smile at some seated patrons, the customers quickly clearing the table for the two CEOs.

“Nice place,” Jack said, a sarcastic bite to his voice as he looked at the cracked glass left on the table. Rhys hummed in agreement, not paying attention to Jack as he looked at the small menu above the bar. 

Eventually Rhys ordered what sounded like a fairly edible dish and Jack ordered the same thing, not really caring. Once they got their food, Rhys took a bite and realized just how hungry he actually was. He continued to eat, watching as Jack merely poked at his own serving. Jack moved the food around his plate, looking bored. Rhys watched him, and sighed. He knew the other man wasn’t exactly used to eating food down on Pandora, but he could at least try.

“It’s not that bad Jack, try some.” Rhys took another bite as if to show the older man that the food wasn’t going to kill him. Which honestly, was something Jack was probably worried about with his paranoia. He watched as Jack stabbed a small piece and took a bite, curling his lip up in disgust.

“Honestly Rhysie I don’t know how you eat this crap.”

“Ok, so the food isn’t five star cuisine,” Rhys said. “But it’s still nice to be out, just the two of us,” he said, his tone sweet even though he was trying to hide the apprehension he was feeling. Jack didn’t seem thrilled at being dragged down there, and he made a face at Rhys, scoffing at the younger man’s statement.

“We could be having a way better time back at the hotel,” Jack smirked, winking suggestively. Rhys frowned, feeling as if there was an empty pit in his stomach at Jack’s words. It’s not that he was against going back to the hotel and having sex with Jack, but the fact that that was all Jack wanted to do with him left Rhys feeling hollow.

Rhys tried to push the feeling away, biting his lip nervously as he turned to Jack. “You know, there are other enjoyable things in life besides sex.” His tone was light as he laughed, but he could hear the slight edge in his own voice.

“Yeah, like what?” Jack snorted. “Cus I sure as hell ain’t findin’ it here.”

Rhys frowned unhappily, as a cold expression took over his face. “Well, I’m so sorry to be bothering you with my mere presence,” he snarled. He wasn’t sure if he was more angry at Jack, or for letting himself believe that Jack wanted anything more than sex from him. Jack looked startled at Rhys’s change of tone, and his eyes widened slightly as Rhys abruptly stood up from the table.

“Rhysie-”

“Look Jack. I’m tired and clearly you don’t have actual sleep in mind, so I think I’m going to get my own room,” Rhys stated, his expression coldly detached as he stalked out of the restaurant. He half expected Jack to call after him, but he heard nothing as he left the diner, and it only served to make him feel worse.

Back at the hotel they were staying at, Rhys had arranged for a separate room, and had already moved his things out of Jack’s. He looked around the room, sighing. The room definitely wasn’t as nice as Jack’s was, and Rhys cringed at the sight of the small bed that took up a corner of the place. He wanted to scream. It was stupid to have even thought that he could what, have an actual relationship with the Hyperion CEO? As far as he knew, Jack had never really been the relationship type. Rhys only knew of one that could be considered a serious relationship, with the sheriff of Lynchwood, and the two hadn’t been more than friends for awhile now.

He sat down on the bed, activating his ECHO-eye to make a call. “Please pick up,” he muttered, chewing on his lip as he waited for the call to go through.

“Rhys?” A voice said, as a blurry face came into view. Rhys sighed, smiling at his best friend.

“Vaughn, hey what’s up?” Rhys asked, his voice just slightly too cheery. Vaughn gave him a scrutinizing look, and Rhys was sure that he could tell something was off.

“Not much. What’s up with you?” Vaughn asked slowly, still trying to figure out what was wrong. “Have you met with Dahl yet?”

“Not yet. The meeting isn’t until tomorrow,” Rhys replied.

“Bro, are you ok? Because you seem...off,” Vaughn said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Rhys. Vaughn was one of the only people that Rhys ever really let his guard down around, and had seen the Atlas CEO at some of his lowest points. He was Rhys’s best friend, but he didn’t know if he should tell Vaughn about Jack. Vaughn had never really liked Jack, and this would just confirm his feelings for the other CEO. And no matter how he felt, Rhys couldn’t risk the new partnership that Atlas had formed with Hyperion. He decided to stay quiet on the matter, instead just smiling back.

“Just tired. The train ride was pretty long and Dave kept whining about having to be on a public transport system instead of in the cars,” Rhys replied, rolling his eyes. Vaughn snorted at that.

“He does know that those Hyperion trains have like automatic turrets and shit on them to protect it from bandits right? Not that our cars are totally defenseless, but it’s not like Dave has the capable know how to defend himself.”

“Oh, I told him,” Rhys said, then added, “I wish you were here instead.”

“Me too bro, but you know somebody has to watch this place.”

“I know. I’m going to get some sleep, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow after the meeting ok?”

“Get some sleep man, and be careful tomorrow. I don’t exactly trust Handsome Jack, but I at least trust him more than those Dahl guys,” Vaughn said. Rhys frowned at Jack’s name, but didn’t say anything.

“I will. Talk to you later,” Rhys said, closing his robotic hand to end the video call. He sighed, falling backward onto the bed. He really was tired. Being on the train and having to listen to his execs complain nearly the entire time was draining. He didn’t fault Jack for air-locking the occasional employee out of Helios, as he’d wanted to do almost the same thing earlier. Though he had better self-control than the infamously bad-tempered Hyperion CEO.

Thinking about Jack only made his mood worse, and Rhys knew he needed to stop and focus on the meeting with Dahl tomorrow. It wasn’t that he was worried exactly, but it was never good to be unprepared. He brought up the specs on the two weapons, overlaying the holographic designs on top of each other and frowning. They were similar, but not close enough to have been anything more than mere coincidence. And their actual functions differed significantly. Rhys saved the image to bring up in the meeting tomorrow and powered down his ECHO-eye. He really did need to sleep. 


	3. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys and Jack arrive at the meeting with Dahl and get a very different kind of confrontation than what they expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to those in the US. Just a short something for those who maybe need to escape their family for a little bit this Thanksgiving. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter with more of Rhys being salty. I love writing salty Atlas CEO Rhys so much honestly.

Rhys woke up still feeling tired. He hadn’t been able to sleep very well, his mind too preoccupied with thoughts of the upcoming meeting and Jack. His attitude was worse than before, and after snapping at a few of his employees, he began to doubt the truth of his statement the other day about having more self-control than the Hyperion CEO.

“Morning pumpkin,” Jack said, sounding all too happy for this early in the morning. Either the man had slept ridiculously well (and with the bed in Jack’s hotel room, Rhys knew it was possible) or he literally hadn’t slept at all and was now running on pure coffee-fueled adrenaline. Jack seemed to have clearly forgotten about what went down at the diner yesterday, as he smirked and wrapped his arms around Rhys’s waist to drag the man closer to him. Rhys coldly and firmly disentangled himself, leaving Jack with a confused expression as Rhys went to further talk with one of his employees. Rhys could see Jack’s expression change as the man narrowed his eyes slightly and moved to approach Rhys. “Uh babe, am I missing something?” he asked.

“Not at all. I’m just busy.” Rhys continued to look over various documents that had been handed to him by one of the Atlas execs. Jack frowned slightly, staring at Rhys.

“Is this about yesterday?” Jack asked. Oh, so he did remember. Rhys faked a smile, turning to face Jack.

“Look, I just want to get through this meeting with Dahl ok?” Rhys replied.

“I told you, you don’t need to worry about it. Those assholes are just gettin’ scared of the competition and this is a last ditch effort to stop you,” Jack purred, trying to calm Rhys down.

“I know that,” Rhys snapped, as Jack’s eyes narrowed. He took a deep breath, trying to control the turmoil of emotions that he was currently feeling. “Let’s just go. Please.” Rhys started walking toward the door of the hotel lobby, heading for where they were supposed to be meeting. He could see Jack follow after him, the man watching Rhys carefully, but not saying anything. 

The place was only a few streets down, one of the few buildings not owned by Hyperion in Tartarus Station. Dahl felt that it was better to start off in neutral territory, though Jack hadn’t been too happy about it. Rhys could see the Dahl employees already inside, when they walked in, everyone seated at a long table in one of the meeting rooms. A woman stood up, holding her hand out.

“Thank you for coming,” she greeted. “It’s a pleasure to meet the famed Atlas CEO in person.” 

“I wish I could say the same, but I’m not exactly pleased to be here.” Rhys gave a tight smile, ignoring the woman’s outstretched hand. She turned her gaze over to Jack, raising an eyebrow at the other CEO’s presence. “We were not aware that the Hyperion CEO would be joining us as well, though I guess it should hardly be surprising given the nature of your relationship…” she trailed off, looking between the two. “Since Hyperion and Atlas started working together that is.”

Jack glared at the woman, his jaw tightening as Rhys narrowed his eyes at her. He gave a sickly sweet smile, “Yes, I expect that our business relationship is the real reason we’re here. With Dahl so scared, it’s no surprise that they would try to take out the competition by creating a false lawsuit.” Rhys sat down in a chair with Jack sitting down next to him, raising an eyebrow at Rhys’s statement. Usually Rhys was much more amicable in such situations, but he wasn’t in a good mood and he didn’t exactly want to waste the energy necessary to keep from taking it out on a rival company that was bringing him up on false charges. The woman’s expression became pursed, and she lowered her hand, taking a seat.

“Well, let’s get down to business then,” she said, her arm reaching for something underneath the table. 

Rhys saw the gun she pulled out, vaguely recognizing that every other Dahl employee was also armed as the world seemed to temporarily slow down. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been in life-threatening situations before, but he honestly hadn’t been expecting Dahl to pull a move like this. They must be seriously desperate to try an assassination attempt.

Before he could even move, Jack kicked the table over, pulling Rhys down behind it, as he pulled out his gun in his other hand. Rhys pulled out his own pistol, activating his ECHO-eye as the room practically exploded in noise. Gunshots rang out around them, and Rhys scanned the room, trying to pinpoint the best plan of attack, or escape. He looked to the side as a body dropped next to them near the upturned table. Dave. Of course he’d have to go and get himself killed in the firefight. 

Rhys raised his gun, aiming for the head of one of the so called Dahl representatives, feeling a small sense of satisfaction as he saw the man drop. He could see Jack next to him, dropping people left and right, but there were still so many. Rhys sneered as he realized there were more people streaming into the small room.

“Looks like Dahl called in some help,” Rhys yelled above the noise, shooting an armored soldier that had gotten too close to their makeshift barrier.

“Shit, how many are there?” Jack snarled, taking out another of the soldiers.

“Can’t tell, but there’s more of them coming,” Rhys said.

“How’s your shield?” Jack asked, checking his own.

“Why, worried you can’t fuck me if I’m dead?” Rhys said, an accusatory tone in his voice as he took out his anger on one of the nearby soldiers. Jack looked over, surprise evident on his features.

“What the hell are you talking about Rhys?” Jack yelled, as he shot another Dahl soldier. A grenade landing at their feet interrupted any response Rhys was about to give, both men’s eyes widening as they scrambled to get away from it. The explosion knocked Rhys off his feet, letting out an electric shockwave as it went off.

Rhys hissed, putting his hand up to his ECHO-eye as a sharp shock went through it. He couldn’t move his robotic arm either, and he figured that it had been an EMP grenade that the Dahl soldier had thrown. As he looked up, he could see smoke starting to fill the room from the explosion. Jack was coughing from somewhere next to him, but his vision in his left eye was almost completely out, and the smoke made it almost impossible to see anything more than a few feet in front of him. He turned to find Jack, but a sharp pain was all he felt and the next thing he saw was total darkness.


	4. Escape Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys and Jack wake up to find out that they are being held by Dahl in an abandoned Hyperion factory. Rhys attempts to talk their way out, but it doesn't go quite as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost at the end! Enjoy!

Rhys woke up and groggily looked around, holding the back of his head as he tried to sit up. He winced as the blood rushed to his head, and blinked as he noticed that his ECHO-eye had come back online.

“How’s your arm?” Jack asked. Rhys turned to him, flexing his robotic hand open and closed.

“Working at least,” Rhys said, his answer clipped. Jack’s eyes narrowed as he stood up, looking around the small room that they were in. “Where are we?”

“Well since your little nap there cupcake, I’ve managed to deduce that we are being held in some old Hyperion claptrap factory, which is just friggin’ perfect,” Jack muttered, clearly unhappy to be anywhere that was associated with the creation of claptraps.

Rhys pursed his lips at the other man, glaring at him. “Oh well I’m so sorry that I got knocked out,” Rhys hissed.

“Seriously Rhysie, what is the matter with you?” Jack asked, clearly exasperated.

“Oh you mean besides being trapped in an old claptrap factory with you?” Rhys bit back while Jack glared at him. “Well how about the fact that I'm apparently only kept around for a quick fuck every once in awhile?”

Jack gaped at him, but before he could say anything, the door to their room flew open. A dahl soldier walked in, flanked by two other lower-level soldiers. The soldier in front grinned at them, a twisted smile that promised that he was about to enjoy what was about to happen.

“Well, the infamous Atlas and Hyperion CEOs. You two are gonna make Dahl very rich.”

“What? Kidnapping the competition to take us out?” Rhys snarled, as Jack glared threateningly at the soldier.

“Like you two have ever played fair,” the soldier growled.

“Why not just kill us?” Jack asked, while Rhys took a second to glare at the other CEO. It was a valid question, but one that he didn’t think wise to say aloud for fear of Dahl doing just that. As long as they were alive they could come up with a plan. It wasn’t smart to provoke their captors.

The soldier grinned, but it was stretched too far as if he was forcing it. “Oh, believe me. I definitely want to. But Dahl has other plans, and plans on selling you two to the highest bidders. There are plenty throughout the galaxy with a grudge against the two of you.” 

Rhys clenched his jaw together at that. He knew his reputation, and he knew that making it to the top of Atlas as he did, certainly made him a few enemies. Though he was sure that all paled in comparison to Jack’s reputation. Handsome Jack was a man that was respected and feared in equal parts, but many on Pandora wanted nothing more than to see the man dead. Rhys flicked his eyes over to the older man, who held his gaze with the soldier still, glaring at him. No matter what happened between them, Rhys had to admit that he was slightly worried. And not just for himself. 

“Certainly we can work something out,” Rhys said, putting on his sweetest voice. He’d been able to charm and bluff his way through most situations before, and on more than one occasion it had saved his life. “I mean, if it’s money you’re after.” Rhys walked towards the soldier, intending to place his hand gently on the man’s arm. As soon as his hand brushed the Dahl soldier’s uniform though, he found himself roughly pressed against the wall, the man’s arm across his throat. Rhys glared, the arm not too constricting, but meant more to hold him in place. He saw Jack move toward him, but watched as the other two soldiers trained their guns on him, stopping him in place.

“You think you can make some kind of deal with me, you traitorous Atlas scum. You’re from here, yet you destroy this planet and use its inhabitants.”

“Like Dahl is doing such a great job of protecting Pandora,” Rhys scoffed, but he felt the arm press down harder on his throat, making it slightly more difficult to breathe.

“You think you can get away with anything, huh? Just throw money at a problem to make it go away? Well, not this time,” the soldier spat, his face contorted with anger. “In fact, I think I’ll just take care of this now. You’re really not worth as much as Handsome Jack anyway.” The soldier pressed harder on Rhys’s throat, cutting off his oxygen almost completely, as Rhys’s eyes widened, his hands grabbing at the man’s arm. 

His vision started to go dark as his movements became more feeble, until the weight on his throat was suddenly gone and he fell to the ground, gasping for breath. He could see Jack not far from where he was, as the CEO punched the soldier repeatedly in the face, while Rhys tried to get his breathing back. He could see the two other soldiers aim their guns at Jack, and tried to warn him, but couldn’t get the words out. One of the soldiers fired, and Jack snarled as the bullet grazed his arm, but continued his assault on the first Dahl soldier.

“Don’t shoot him! We need him alive!” one of the other soldiers yelled, grabbing the second soldier’s gun to stop him. The soldier then rammed the butt of his own gun into Jack’s head, knocking the Hyperion CEO off of the first Dahl soldier. Rhys was still on the ground, his hand rubbing his throat, as he watched the guards pull Jack off. Jack was still conscious, but he was bleeding from his arm and head, his attempt at throwing the guards off much weaker than it would have normally been. “Grab the captain,” one of the soldiers ordered, as the two hauled the unconscious Dahl soldier up, exiting the room with a vague threat that the two CEOs would pay dearly for this.

As soon as the door was closed again, Rhys made his way over to Jack, who was sitting against one of the walls, his head back and his eyes closed. Rhys gingerly touched Jack’s head, where the guard had hit him with the gun, and saw Jack wince slightly. As Jack turned his head away from Rhys’s touch, his eyes were drawn to the blood on Jack’s arm. He could see where the bullet had hit him, and sighed as he realized that it was just a graze.

“You’re bleeding Jack.”

“Really Rhysie? I just thought it was strawberry syrup,” Jack snorted, a grim grin on his face as he opened his eyes to look at Rhys. Rhys frowned at him, not finding the fact that Jack was injured funny in any way, especially when those injuries had happened because of Rhys. “It’s nothing major cupcake, I’ll live,” Jack responded upon seeing Rhys’s serious expression.

“Why’d you do that?” Rhys asked, as Jack raised an eyebrow at him. Jack sighed as Rhys continued to stare at him, waiting for an answer.

“You aren’t just some quick fuck babe. I thought you knew that.”

Rhys’s eyes widened slightly, not quite expecting that answer, and the genuine feelings that Jack seemed to be expressing. He’d never seen the CEO so honest before. He frowned and replied, “No, how was I supposed to know that?”

“Well, we’re dating?” Jack said, looking slightly unsure at what Rhys was trying to get at. Rhys looked  at the other man in disbelief.

“But literally the only thing we do when we’re together is have sex,” Rhys said, his frown deepening.

“Because we’re dating,” Jack said, though he sounded slightly frustrated and confused as Rhys just stared at him. Rhys didn’t know what to say, so instead he just started laughing. He couldn’t believe that Handsome Jack, CEO of Hyperion honestly thought that sex equated to dating. Jack glared at him, but Rhys smiled back.

“You know dating usually consists of these things called ‘dates’,” Rhys smirked, while Jack continued to give him an unhappy expression. “Not that I’m complaining about the sex,” Rhys purred, leaning in toward Jack. “Though it is nice to know that I won’t just be tossed aside when something prettier comes along.”

“You’re the prettiest thing around babe,” Jack grinned, his mood shifting as Rhys settled his legs over the other man’s, practically straddling Jack while he was still sitting against the wall. Rhys leaned down toward Jack’s face, pausing at the last minute, grinning as Jack made an irritated expression.

“If we’re dating, then why didn’t you like the date at the restaurant?” Rhys asked, his breath ghosting over Jack’s face. Jack frowned in confusion, but then chuckled as realization dawned on him.

“With that terrible excuse for food, I think that hardly qualifies as a date,” he snorted.

Rhys grinned, leaning down to capture Jack’s lips with his own, as his hand slid down Jack’s chest. Jack hungrily leaned up into the kiss, and Rhys could taste the slight metallic taste of blood that had trickled down from the cut on Jack’s forehead. As they broke away for air, Jack smirked at Rhys.

“I told you babe, you’re mine. And I don’t like other people touching what’s mine,” Jack said, his fingers trailing lightly across Rhys’s throat and the bruises that had started to form there. His eyes hardened as Rhys winced slightly at the touch, and Jack withdrew his hand, frowning.

“And I said you were mine,” Rhys smirked, then looked at the blood that was already drying on Jack’s face and arm. “And I don’t appreciate it when my things are damaged without proper restitution,” Rhys said, pulling out a keycard that he’d managed to swipe from the Dahl soldier.

Jack raised an eyebrow at it.“Never figured you for the pickpocket type.”

“I’ve learned a couple tricks from a few friends,” Rhys said, grinning slyly at the impressed grin on Jack’s face. “Now, how about we go exact proper payment from Dahl?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter! These two are finally getting their shit together though so next chapter is basically them fighting their way out together.


	5. Retribution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys and Jack fight their way out of the Dahl facility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter there is quite a bit of Rhys and Jack killing Dahl soldiers just to warn you, it's not too graphic, but there are mentions of blood and such.

Rhys unlocked the door, peering down the hallway to make sure that it was clear. He could see a few of the Dahl soldiers lingering near the end of the hall. “Looks like Dahl has pretty much set up shop here,” Rhys muttered, as Jack glared at the soldiers near the end of the hall. “Thought Hyperion kept a tighter leash on their company warehouses?” Rhys teased, watching as Jack’s glare turned toward him.

“This place has been abandoned for years. Surprised those Dahl assholes were able to turn the lights on,” Jack responded. Rhys watched as a few of the soldiers moved on, only two of them lingered near the end of the hall. The soldiers had their backs to them, and Rhys and Jack managed to creep up behind the two, Jack breaking the neck of one and Rhys pinning the other to the wall. Rhys pulled the soldier’s gun out of his hands, holding it up under the man’s chin, a wicked smile on his face.

“Now where would I be able to find my things that Dahl has so thoughtfully stored for me?” Rhys asked, pushing the gun harder into the underside of the man’s jaw. He hadn’t been conscious when Dahl had taken them, but he knew that the company would have whatever items they’d confiscated from the pair somewhere, probably hoping to sell them. And Rhys would be damned if he was going to lose his favorite gun.

The soldier swallowed roughly, trying to look down at the gun currently pressed against him. “They’re in the security room, right down the hall,” he answered, looking warily at the two CEOs. Rhys smiled sweetly at him. 

“Now, was that so hard?” Rhys asked, lowering the gun slightly. At the removal of the gun from his jaw, the soldier glared at the two.

“You’ll never make it out of here,” the soldier sneered. Jack’s expression hardened, but before he could say anything Rhys had the gun right back to the man’s head.

“We’ll see about that.” Rhys pulled the trigger, the blood splattering across his clothes and getting in his hair. He frowned as he tried to wipe it off of his jacket, but it simply spread it around more. Jack grinned as Rhys let go of the soldier’s body, watching it fall to the ground. He didn’t usually engage in violence unless he needed to, but he was too angry to care at the moment. Besides, it’s not like Jack would have let the man live anyway.

“Gotta say babe, that was pretty hot.”

“Well, at least some good came out of it then, because this jacket is ruined.”

“I can think of more ways we can ruin it,” Jack smirked as he wrapped his empty hand around Rhys, pulling him up against him. Rhys closed his eyes as Jack’s lips met his, smiling into the kiss.

“Sounds fun, but how about you and I get out of here first?” Rhys suggested, as the shouts of other soldiers closing in on them echoed down the hall. Jack grinned.

“Right behind you babe.” Jack stretched his arm out, shooting the first soldier who rounded the corner as he leaned in to kiss Rhys again. He pulled away, firing at the next two soldiers who came at them as Rhys shot at another as the pair made their way to the security room. Rhys swiped the keycard to the door, as Jack covered him, using the stolen gun to lay down cover fire down the hall. As the door opened, Rhys grabbed the back of Jack’s jacket, pulling him into the room as he closed the door behind them. He locked the door, knowing that it wouldn’t take Dahl long to hack into it from the outside, as Jack shoved a table in front of it.

Rhys turned around at the pleased sound that Jack made, seeing the man take out his shield and guns from a locker. He tossed Rhys his own gun, who caught it with a grin.

“Ready, Jack?” Rhys asked smiling at the other CEO, as he made sure his gun was fully loaded, pointing it toward the door.

“Always, cupcake,” Jack grinned, kicking the table out of the way as Rhys opened the door. Jack and Rhys took opposite sides of the door, leaning out into the hallway as shots rang out around them. Rhys looked over at Jack quickly, smiling at the man despite the danger they were in. Jack stood there, covered in blood, laughing as he took down two more of the Dahl soldiers.

“Now to find our way out of this dump,” Jack said, taking out another soldier.

“Mmmm, don’t know your way out of your own building?” Rhys joked. “What, your memory getting bad in your old age?” Rhys ducked into another hallway, leaning out to shoot at the newly approaching soldiers. Jack shot down the hallway as he ran to join Rhys.

“I didn’t hear you complaining about my age the other day,” Jack smirked, as he knocked one of the soldiers down, shooting him while he was on the ground. Rhys raised an eyebrow at the act, but smiled as Jack shoved a door open, leading to the outside. The two stepped over the dead bodies of the Dahl soldiers, as they made their way out.

It seemed that the bulk of Dahl’s soldiers had been stationed inside the old factory, as the streets were mostly empty. Only one or two guards were near the exit, which Jack and Rhys quickly dispatched. Rhys walked down the ramp, only to stop at the figure before him, glaring at Jack as the other CEO ran into him. Jack narrowed his eyes at Rhys, but followed the Atlas CEO’s gaze to the man standing before them, rolling his eyes as he realized who it was. It was the soldier from before, still bearing the injuries from Jack’s beating.

“I don’t care what Dahl says, or how much money you two are worth alive. This ends now,” the soldier said, pulling out his gun.

“Don’t you remember what you said earlier, captain?” Rhys asked, a smug smile on his face as he raised his gun. “We don’t fight fair.” Rhys pulled the trigger, putting a bullet into the man’s hand and knee in quick succession. The Dahl captain dropped his gun as he fell to the ground, his face contorted in fury and pain as Rhys and Jack walked up to him. Rhys kicked the gun out of reach with his boot, looking down on the man as Jack stalked over to him.

“Let this be a lesson to you. Nobody touches what’s mine,” Jack snarled, the barrel of his gun pressed against the still furious soldier’s head. “Though, I don’t know how much you’re gonna really learn, seeing as you’ll be dead.” Jack pulled the trigger, grinning as the soldier’s body slumped to the ground.

Rhys took one last look at the man’s body, and then caught up to Jack, who had already begun to walk away. 

They started to make their way out of the settlement, following the train tracks back to Tartarus Station. As they neared the town, Rhys looked over at Jack, grinning. “So, now that I’ve been properly compensated by Dahl for my earlier injustices, what about you Jack? You still owe me a date.”

“Babe, as soon as we get back I’m gonna take you on the best date you’ve ever been on. We can go anywhere you want. Even off planet.”

Rhys looked thoughtful before smiling and leaning in toward Jack. “I hear Aquator is nice.” Rhys stopped just short of kissing him, his lips hovering over the other man’s as Jack chuckled.

“I’ll buy the whole damn planet if you want it Rhysie,” Jack answered, leaning in the rest of the way, his hands resting on Rhys’s waist as he kissed him. “Hell, I’ll buy the whole star system.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this is the last chapter! I love Atlas CEO Rhys so much, and will miss this fic. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it too! I might try and write a third part to this, but it won't be anytime soon because I am focusing on another rhack fic that is longer in which Rhys and Jack end up on the run from Hyperion. I should have the first chapter for that one up by this weekend if anyone is interested.


End file.
